MOBILE, Ala. — Officials at UTSA raised the stakes on their football program two years ago by electing to take the fast track to major-college status.

Little did they know at the time that would lead to a grudge match at wind-blown Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

In opening their second season today, the Roadrunners will face the South Alabama Jaguars, a team that handed them a humbling loss a year ago at the Alamodome.

Not only will the Roadrunners be looking to exact some revenge for last year's wrenching 30-27, double-overtime defeat, they also will be looking to make history.

If they can beat the Jaguars, it would mark their first victory over a team that operates at the 85-scholarship, major-college limit.

It would also give the Roadrunners, coming in with about 70 scholarship athletes, their first road victory anywhere.

UTSA receiver Kam Jones said he would attach equal significance to both of those landmarks if they can be achieved. But he said the opportunity for payback might prove to be the biggest motivation of all.

“Last year we played them in the dome and went into double overtime with them and lost by three,” Jones said. “It was a big upset, you know, watching them celebrate on our field, like they just won the Super Bowl, or something.

“I think we owe them a big upset at their place, too.”

The Jaguars, in their fourth season of football, are expected to come out with plenty of emotion themselves.

On Tuesday, players squirmed when officials tried to decide what to do with a scheduled Thursday night kickoff. Eventually, it was scrapped because of the threat of Hurricane Isaac, which dumped heavy rain on the city the past few days.

Now they face the Roadrunners, who nearly got away with one in San Antonio last season before the Jaguars blocked a field-goal attempt at the end of regulation to send it to overtime.

Eventually, the Jaguars prevailed, with running back Demetre Baker rumbling 25 yards for the game-winner.

UTSA linebacker Steven Kurfehs said he still thinks about the scene that followed — South Alabama coaches celebrating at midfield on the Roadrunners' logo.

“When they ran it into the end zone, we just saw all the coaches coming and diving onto the bird (logo),” said Kurfehs, an O'Connor High grad billed as perhaps UTSA's top defensive player. “You know, we had never seen something like that before. That really hit home. They were celebrating in our place.”

South Alabama will mark the first of eight opponents on UTSA's schedule at the NCAA's 85-scholarship limit this season.

Ambitious by design, UTSA under coach Larry Coker has been in existence long enough to sign only three classes of athletes.

It will take another year before the Roadrunners can get to 85 scholarships themselves to catch up with the rest of the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The road to respect for the Roadrunners, 4-6 a year ago against lesser competition, begins today against South Alabama. Playing a Sun Belt Conference schedule this year, coach Joey Jones' Jaguars finished 6-4 last year.